Illini Weekly: Soccer sweeps B1G home-opening weekend

Writer’s note: Every Monday, GateHouse Media takes a step back from Illini football and basketball to take a closer look at other, deserving University of Illinois athletic programs and individuals.

Go look up the individual statistics on the Big Ten website for women’s soccer. Do a quick search for the name Jannelle Flaws. Don’t worry, I’ll wait.

(Hint: she is near the top of every category).

In every single offensive category, Flaws is ranked either the best player in the conference, leading in goals (8), assists (5), points (21) and game-winning goals (4).

But Flaws is just a name, one of many contributing to the success of the Illinois soccer team this season.

“Players are already starting to step up,” Illinois head coach Janet Rayfield said Monday. “This isn’t the Jannelle Flaws show this year.”

Nor was it the Flaws show this past weekend when Illinois defeated both Maryland and No. 11 Rutgers, a team which entered the game undefeated and hadn’t allowed a goal in more than 770 minutes.

Against Maryland, senior Nicole Breece scored the game-winning goal in the second period of extra time after 107 minutes of play. Breece also assisted on the goal Katie Murray scored in the eighth minute.

Meanwhile, junior goalkeeper Claire Wheatley earned her seventh and eighth wins of the season, including a diving save against Rutgers that kept the game scoreless before halftime.

“She made two world-class saves that kept us in that game,” Rayfield said.

Illinois, which lost one and tied one in its first two Big Ten games, moved into a three-way for fourth place in the Big Ten standings with Wisconsin and Penn State — which currently ranks the No. 2 team in the country.

The Illini (8-2-1) also hold the fourth-best win percentage in the conference, behind Minnesota, Northwestern and Rutgers.

“I think we might be the deepest this conference has ever been,” Rayfield said. “I think if we bring our best, if we play our best, we can beat anybody in the Big Ten, but if you’re just off of that by a little, anybody can beat anybody in the Big Ten.”

Poulter draws multiple B1G weekly volleyball honors

Illini freshman Jordyn Poulter was picked for both Big Ten Setter of the Week and Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Monday for her role in helping Illinois sweep Maryland and Rutgers on the road to open conference play.

Poulter, who was also tabbed Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Aug. 31, averaged 12.3 assists per set in her Big Ten debut weekend and led the team in each match with hitting percentages of .390 and .433, respectively.